M ICROCONTROLLERS

Reign with the Sceptre

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By Clemens Valens (Elektor France Editor)

This open-source & open-hardware project aims

to be more than just a little board with a big
microcontroller and a few useful peripherals - it
seel<s to be a fast prototyping system. To justify this

title, in addition to a very useful little board, we also

need user-friendly development tools and libraries
that allow fast implementation of the board's
peripherals. Ambitious? Maybe, but nothing should
deter you from becoming Master of Embedded
Systems Universe with the help of the Elel<tor
Sceptre.

The aim of fast prototyping is to produce an was while contemplating these weal<nesses available, but specifica-
operational prototype of an application in that the idea for Sceptre was born. tion #3 rules out a lot
the shortest possible time. To achieve this, Here are the specifications collected thus far of them. We ended up
we need powerful, easy-to-use tools espe- for a powerful fast prototyping platform: choosing the LPC2148
-
cially when a microcontroller application is from NXP for the follow-
involved. The ideal is a simple assembly of a . powerful microcontroller ing reasons:
few intelligent building-blocks. Often, you . built-in useful peripherals . Popular: easy to find,
need only a single version of a set-up, and . easyto implement thanks to a big com-
would like to use the prototype as is. So you . compact size munity of users.
need to be able to treat these intelligent . cheap . Available in an
building-blocl<s as consumables. LQFP64 package:
Many commercially-
available microcon-
troller development
boards are not suit-
Open mobile platform
able for fast proto-
typing as they are too large, too fragile, or Let's add a sixth point to the list: relatively easy to
simply too expensive to be used only once. solder, even using DYI tools.
Usually, there is also a lacl< of software sup- . the project must be able to be built by . ln situ programmable via a simple
port for developing an application rapidly. an (experienced) amateul which implies serial port: doesn't need a special
One excellent example of a fast prototyp- the use of readily-available components programmer.
ing platform is Arduino tll, which we tell you that are also easy to solder. . Powerful: 32-bit ARMTTDMI-S core,
about from time to time. However, one of 512 KB flash memory,40 l(B RAM, lots
the drawbacl<s with Arduino is its low cal- Let's start with the first specification: the of built-in peripherals, including USB 2.0
culating power. 5o we almost always have brains of the project. The most power- and a real-time clocl<.
to add an expansion board to be able to use ful microcontrollers currently accessible . Easy to implement: the multi-platform
it, as an Arduino board has no peripherals. lt to enthusiasts are 32-bit ones. Several are open-source development tools are

03-2o1o elel<tor
 MICROCONTROLLERS

]ilIJIJIEITI
. 32-bit ARMTTDMI-5 LpC:r48 . Real-time clocl<
microcontroller, 5rz l(B flash, 4o KB RAM . All microcontroller pins accessible
. USB z.o . Batteryor U5B port powering
. Bluetooth (Class r or z) . Li-ion battery charger
. 5D card reader . Compact: 6x8cm
. Serial port via U5B (e.9. for in situ . Open-source tools, software, and
available free on the Web, as
programming) hardware
are lots of libraries.
. 3-axis accelerometer . Open-source extended library
. DSrSBzo thermometer
We could argue for ages
about the peripher-
als that are'useful'
to have on the sort
of board we're thinl<-
ing of. After lengthy consider-
ation, we've chosen the following
(Figure 1):
Bluetooth module: naturally, a wireless
linl< (class 1 or 2, as you prefer) is obliga-
tory these days.
5D card reader: for storing data and
programs.
USB 2.0 (peripheral): since it's already
included in the microcontroller...
RS-232 serial port via USB: handy for in
situ programming.
3-axis accelerometer: this'll let you do
some super things.
Thermometer: always comes in handy!
Real-time clocl<: lots of applications
need one.
Li-ion battery charger: as the board's
going to be small, it will be portable, so
battery powering is a must. Figure 1. Sceptre blocl< diagram.
Expansion port: because you can't
always plan for everything, all the micro-
controller's pins will be accessible via
terminal strips.

All this on a small board unfortunately

rather conflicts with specification #6, as we
are obliged to use SMD components and a
rather dense, double-sided PCB. We have,
however, tal<en the trouble to picl< SMD
components that are relatively easy to fit.
As a result, the PSU / battery charger for
example is more complicated than neces-
sary. The only component that's not easy to
fit yourself is the 3D accelerometer. We've
not found this sort of component in an
'easy'pacl<age.
Since Sceptre is based on numerous open
source code projects, it's only natural that
this project too has an all-open structure.
Hence the source codes and CAD files
(Eagle) are available for free download from
the Sceptre website I2l. So you can modify

everything you're the one in charge!

-
Figure 2. Here's one possible application for the Sceptre. The lnterSceptres provide the
interface betl',,een the Sceptre and any peripheral such as a synthesizer or a stepper motor

elel<tor 03-201o
M ICROCONTROLLERS

Banqy CharEer
Applications &
Slitctr Ow Circufl
Those familiar with Nintendo's Wii games
console may have noticed the similarities
between the Sceptre and the Wiimote,
the remote control for the Wii. lt's true
(given that this is a totally open project, we
won't be hiding anything from you - long
live transparency!): both are portable and
include Bluetooth, a 3-axis accelerometer,
and a powerful micro. ln fact, our original
idea was to build a sort of Wiimote, and the
name Sceptre was chosen to highlight its
function as a powerful remote control (Fig-
ure 2). But you can do a lot more with the
Sceptre, as it's a universal open platform.
For example, the SD card reader lets you use
the Sceptre as a stand-alone data recorder.
The board already has a thermometer and
a real-time clocl<. What's more, the micro-
P1.31fr6-
controller and board have been designed to P1.3otrMs
lC4 P12efrcK
minimize power consumption and prolong
P0-4/SCK0/CAP0.ilAD0.6 P127ft&
battery life.
P0-6/MOS|0/CAP0.ZADI.0 P1.25IEX1N0
PO.7/SSELO/PWMZ€|NT2 P1,24fiAACECLK

Model enthusiasts will probably appreci-

P0.3frXD1/PW4/AD1.1 P1.23F|PES1A12
ate its Class 1 Bluetooth link (100 m range
in free-field), its 3D accelerometer, and its
pulse width modulation (PWM) capabilities, PO.I SDTF ilMAT1,I/AD1 -4 P1 -1 3ffRACEPXT2

as it will be possible to use the Sceptre as PO.1 5/RXEINT2AD'.5 P1.1 6fRACEPKTO

the brain for remote-controlled devices or

PO.25/AD0.4AOUt
robots. To tal<e full advantage ofthe Blue-
tooth, the board offers the possibility for fit-
ting an SIVA connector so you can connect a P0.21IPWM5/AD1,&CAP1.3 p0.30/AD0,SEINT3/CAPC0

proper aerial. Provision has also been made

LPC2148FBD64
for a little impedance matching networl<.
As the board has a USB port (two, in fact!) it 999.ryc' rrru "999
"6
can easily interface with a computer. Thanks
to the Sceptre's expansion ports, all the
microcontroller's peripherals can be used:
uARr (2), spr (2), r,c (2), rvrLr (6), cNA (14),
CAN (1), USB. lt will even be possible to use
the Sceptre as the heart of a small compu-
ter with PS/2 l<eyboard, LCD screen, and 5D
card virtual disl< drive.
ln short, as we say when we're stucl< for
ideas: the Sceptre's applications are only
limited by your own imagination!

l-{ardware
The circuit diagram of the Sceptre is shown
in Figure 3. As there are a hundred or so
components, the circuit may at first sight
seem daunting, but lool<ing closer, you'll
see that there's nothing terribly compli-
cated about it. So we're not going to go Figure 3. The full circr t diagram of the Sceptre. lt's a bit big,

03-201o elel<tor
 MICROCONTROLLERS

through it in detail, but confine ourselves

to a few comments:
First, the power supply. The board can be
powered from a battery or via the USB port.
USB powering tal<es priority, and is also used
for charging the battery. The MAX1551 lC is
a Li-ion battery charger with just five pins.
The device detects if a voltage is available
on one of its two inputs (we're only using
one of them).
ln order to minimize the volts drop when
the board is being powered from the bat-
tery, the circuit used to switch between
the 5 V rails from the USB port and the bat-
tery (D9, T4 and T5) is a bit more compli-
cated than the two diodes usually found in
Seilal o/lSP lntedace this type of circuit. Naturally, the aim is to
mal<e the battery last as long as possible.
The voltage from the battery or USB port
is then converted to 3.3 V by the MAX710.
zXM61P03F USB lnteiace
This operates down to 1.8 V, so we can dis-
charge the battery quite a long way.
Cheaper, ready-made PMIC (Power Man-
agement lntegrated Circuit) devices do
exist offering all the functions described
above and more. But the problem is that
these PMICs only exist in QFN pacl<ages,
or worse still, BCA in short, pacl(ages we
-
have sought to avoid at all costs.

There are two USB port on the board, but

only one socket. Two jumpers let you choose
which of the two ports will be entitled to use
the on-board socl<et. ln the event that you
need to use both ports at the same time, it's
possible to connect a USB socl<et for lC5 to
the expansion port l(i 0. lC5 is provided first
and foremost for programming the board
Y2 via USB, i.e. during the development phase.
aioo
Alol ", 'o
Plolo Once the application is finished, it is possible
Ploo Pto1l
Plol sPl Mlso to disconnect it and free up four l/Os. The lC
PIO2
PIO3
SPI CLK
SPI CSB
is powered solely from the USB 5 V rail and
Pto4 sPt Most
so doesn't drain the battery power.
PIOS UAFT CTS
PIS UAFT.FTS Solder bridges JP15 and JP16 can mal<e
PIOT UAFI TX
PIOS UART FX programming a little more convenient by
Prog pcu cL(
RESET PCM OUT allowing automatic switching between the
USB DN
USB DP
PCM Itr
PCM.SYNC
programming mode and the microcon-
aTMt 1 2
BfM-222 troller's normal operating mode. Without
GND GND GND
these bridges, each time you want to pro-
gram the board, you have to fit JP1 , press
the reset button, program the microcon-
troller, removeJPl, and press the reset but-
ton again, which can become a pain after
owing to the number of components, but there's nothing terribly complicated about it. a while.

elel<tor o3-2oro
M ICROCONTROLLERS

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Figure 4. Configuring Flash Magic. The
communications parameters are the most
important ones. For programming, the
serial port speed must not be above 38,400
baud. For the terminal, you can choose a
higher speed.
LED D4 is intended as an indicator that the
microcontroller's USB
but there's nothing stopping you using it
for something else. ln this event, remember
to remove R16 if the microcontroller's USB
port has to operate at the same time.
To save power, the SD card reader and the
Bluetooth module are switched using tran-
sistors (T2 and T3 respectively).
The board has two positions for a Blue-
tooth module, one for a Class 1 module
(BTM-222), the other for a Class 2 module
been provided in case the impedance of
.- ,lr-;* l
@eidr the Bluetooth module's RF output needs to
be matched to the aerial. ln most cases, this
i-E networl< isn't required, and L2 can simply
be replaced by a wire linl< or 0 O resistor. A
31 mm length of wire will do as an aerial,
but it's possible to fit an edge-type SMA
ll
connector to the board. That way, you can
screw a 'WiFi' aerial onto the board - now
there's class for youl
The suggested Bluetooth modules require
just two wires (RX and TX) for communicat-
ing with the mioocontroller. The RTS and
CTS signals are however available (well, you
never l<now...) and they can be connected
together if necessary via JP9.
The 3-axis accelerometer lC2 cin be put]nto
standby in order to limit power consump-
port is connected, tion. lts sensitivity can be altered using two
jumpers. lt is least sensitive when they are
not fitted. See the data sheet for further
details.
The thermometer only uses power when you
actually tall< to it. lt's a good little device.
Lastly, jumpers JP6 and JP7 let you choose
the voltage sources for V0",. (required by
the real-time clocl<) and V,", (needed for
the CNA).
Development envi ronment
do the same. Allthe source codes developed
for the Sceptre ought to compile using any
C/C++ compiler that can produce executa-
blesforthe 1PC2148.
Another reason for staying with Windows
is the Flash Magiclsl flash tool. Even though
WinARM does include its own flash tool
(lpc21isp), Flash magic, which is free for
private use, is user-friendly and helps avoid
finger trouble. This tool also incorporates a
serial port terminal, very handy for debug-
ging. A serial port is often used during pro-
gram development to send messages about
whether the program is worl<ing correctly
or not. Flashing the microcontroller requires
a serial port too; by using the same port for
both these tasl<s, we can mal<e do with just
a single cable between the computer and
the Sceptre. Flash Magic avoids conflicts
between the flash tool and the terminal, as
they can't be enabled at the same time. So
it's impossible to forget to free off the serial
port each time you want to reprogram the
microcontroller - Flash Magic takes are of
everything.
It seems that Flash Magic worl<s under Linux
and MAC OS X in the WINE Windows emu-
lator I6l.

(BTM-1 12). Once again, the reason is the Programming a microcontroller requires For the sake of completeness, lpc2l isp also
board's power consumption. A Class 1 mod- tools, and that's often where things get includes a terminal, but in order to use it,
ule (1 00 m, 300 ft) draws significantly more complicated. Not for the Sceptre, as the you have to use the same communication
than a Class 2 module (10 m, 30 ft). development tools were part of the original speed for flashing and debugging, as they
The little 'n' network C8. 12, and C9 has specifications: they must be free and multi- can't be specified individually.
platform. The advantage of the ARM core
as used by Sceptre is that there are actu- lnstallation
ally several free compilation chains based So installing the WinARM-based develop-
-aofmdcabns
Ha'dware conris Secudy
.
Jusr tn Ttu co# I,L*!_ MF9 on CCC (CNU Compiler Collection t3l)which ment environment is child's play. Down-
ZJ,e DTB dnd F I 5 ro ronhol PST dnd lSPpm operate under Linux, Mac, and Windows. load the latest distribull6n ral (currently ver_
IKeep FI5 dseiled hhile toM Poil opeh

ll c0 m! T2: 100
We've opted for a collection of tools that is
beginning to get a bit dated now but which
-Arieil DTP a.d FTS whh toM Poil oFen
is really easy to install and includes every-
..) thing you need to get going right away.
ftrnrjl K I The drawbacl< is that it only operates under
Windows. We're referring to the WinARM
distribution l4l, a big file that you'll have to
Fb Fl HeF
unzip after downloading it. This distribution
includes the compiler, the linl< editor, a spe-
@
cial text editor for programming, a tool for
Figure 5. Options -> Advanced Options...: flashing the microcontroller, and lots more
Checking this box enables Flash Magic to besides.
put the Sceptre in programming mode and Of course, just because we happened to
reboot without your having to do anything. choose WinARM doesn't mean you have to
sion 20060606, we haven't yet tried the
beta version 20080331 ) and unzip the file
onto your hard drive. Add the following line
to the Windows pathname (assuming you
have unzipped the file to the C drive root
directory):
C:\WinARM\bin;C:\WinARM\utils\bin;
This step is not obligatory, you can also
enter it at a command prompt or put it into
a batch file (.bat) that you run each time
you start a Sceptre programming session,
like this:

24 o3-201o elel<tor

::: .ath = ?tpath? ; C: \WinARM\
: r:-; :: \winARM\utils\bin
is WinARM knows everything
i'ou n€€d, installation is now com-
:lete. You can test your installation
cy compiling one of the examples
included in WinARM, which can be
found here (forthe LPC2148):
WinARM\examples\lpc2 1 3x_
ipc214x_examples\
For greater convenience, we recom-
mend you also install Flash Magic
(which replaces the
LPC2000 Flash Util-
ity, now obsolete).
This application is
constantly being
updated to add new
processors, so download and install
the most recent version. Then con-
figure the tool for Sceptre as shown
in Figure 4, selecting the correct
COM port. The options in Step 4
only slow programming down, so
it's up to you to see if you want to
use them or not.
You may not yet have installed the
drivers for the Sceptre's serial port
via USB. This port uses a standard
FTDI chip, and you can find the driv-
ers on I8l (VCP drivers). lf you don't
l<now if you've already got the driv-
ers or not, connect the Sceptre up
to your computer and your operat-
ing system (OS) will tell you. Modern OSs
are able to find and install the correct driver
all by themselves.
To checl< thecommunication between the
Sceptre and the computer, it's worth try-
Ii I arduirro.cc
[2 J www.elel<tor.coml090559
i3 j gcc"gnu.org
14] www.siwawi.arubi.uni-kl.de/avr_projects/arm_projects
elel<tor 03-2or o
MICROCONTROLLERS
sion 2.12. To do the same thing
using the lpc21isp, you'll need to
use the following command:
Ipc2Iisp -dececconly -
control main.hex com4 38400
12000
You need to enter a HEX file, even
if there isn't one. As identification,
you should get:
Synchronizing. OK
Read bootcode version:
2.L2.4
Readpart ID:
LPC2L48, 572
kiB /
Using Sceptld, you're tn control! 40 KlB
RoM
SRAM
(673A5253)
The last number is decimal for
0x0402FF25,the num ber found by
Flash Magic.
To be continued...
Experienced readers will now
be able to set about developing
applications for the Sceptre. You
can already download from l2l the
first version of the C/C++ library
we're in the process of developing.
Although still far from fi nished, this
library is going to contain functions
for quicl<ly developing an applica-
tion based on the Sceptre.
Readers in less of a hurry may pre-
ing to detect the microcontroller. lf the fer to wait till next month to find out how
advanced options are correct (Figure 5), to implement the Sceptre in detail. See you
using Flash Magic this is achieved by the soon!
command "l5P -> Read Device Signa- (0s0sse-r)
ture...". lf everything is alright, you'll get
the lD 0x0402FF25 and the bootloader ver-
[ 5] www.fl ashrnag ictool.comf
16l www.winehq.org/
[7] www.pnotepad.org
. -!rm [8]www.ftdichip.com